The
painful effect of rejection from family and friends seems to be one of the most
crippling things our hearts can experience. It is fair to say that many people who
profess faith in Jesus Christ are restricted in their affections, hindered in
their walk with God, and terrified of putting their hearts out where they could
receive further hurt, all because significant people have “done a number” on
them.
One
thing that I can conclude with confidence is that this is not so much about the
real condition of our souls, but our beliefs about the condition of our souls. Rejection,
abuse, or criticism, especially from people close to us, leaves us believing we
are worthless. It is not true that we are worthless, but the belief that we are
worthless is just as damaging as if it were true.
My
response to a believer in Jesus Christ crying out in the pain of feeling hated
by family (natural or spiritual), is to tell them the truth. It would go
something like this:
“No
child of God is ever hated by his or her real family. Your Father has loved you
with an everlasting love.[3] Your Brother has loved you to death, literally.[4] The Holy Spirit pours the love of God into your heart[5] so that you are able to overflow with springs of living water.[6] God rejoices over his children with singing.[7] There is great rejoicing in heaven every time a sinner repents[8] and enters into the adoption as a son of God.[9]
“The
cross stands as the ultimate, permanent demonstration that God so loved the
world, that he gave us his only Son[10] to lay down his life in death,[11] so that we could enter into his eternal life, a life of knowing God
the Father, God the Son, God the Holy Spirit forever.[12] The fact that Jesus died for us while we were still sinners[13] proves once and for all that we cannot lose our worth to him, no
matter how much sin we must confess, or how much abuse we have endured. God
forgives our sins, and heals the consequences of the sins of others, for he is
love.[14]
“Feeling
worth is the only conclusion to the revelation of God in his word. Because God
is infinite and eternal, it does not matter what anyone has said about us, or
any number of people have believed about us. To our Father, we are “beloved
children”,[15] the apple of his eye,[16] his treasured possession,[17] and his throne is greater than every other throne, or every
possible compilation of thrones.
“Today,
think about your life as a beloved, adopted, child of God. Think of the
covenant God has made, sealed in the blood of Jesus Christ,[18] assuring you that those God foreknew as his beloved children before
the beginning of time, he also predestined to be adopted as the sons of his
kingdom; that the ones he predestined to be adopted as his sons, he called into
sonship through the gospel of the Lord Jesus Christ. Those chosen ones he
called to himself through the gospel, he personally justified from all their
sins so that not one thing stands between him and any one of his children. And,
those he has justified, he has already as good as glorified, giving us his own
Holy Spirit as the deposit, or down-payment, or guarantee, of all the rest of
the inheritance that is waiting for us in heaven.[19]
“And,
if it is possible that such wondrous truths have not yet stirred up your
childlike heart with the wonder of your worth to God, go back to the newborn
creation, where Jesus had only one thing left to do in expressing his creative
glory, and see him gathering dust together to make himself a man.[20] And consider that he already knew that this man would sin, and that
he, in his infinite deity, would have to clothe himself with the very humanity
he was then creating, and suffer the death that this man would bring into the
world, all so that his Father could have sons in the image of his Son, and Jesus
could have brothers in his own image and likeness. Consider the knowing look on
the face of the Son of God who completed his creation of the man, and then
added the wondrous creation of the woman, and presented them in the unspoiled
beauty of the Garden of Eden, pronouncing that what he had made was “very good”,[21] even though he had now secured the historical necessity of the gruesome
creation and application of the cross!
“Dear
heartbroken child of God, come to this cross where your Savior died, come to
the empty tomb where you Savior was raised, come to the throne room of God
where your Father sits in unapproachable light,[22] and yet is surrounded by the twenty-four elders on twenty-four
thrones signifying that the church, down to its smallest, weakest, most broken
and wounded member, is represented as one of the members of this chosen race,
this royal priesthood, this holy nation, this people who are for God’s own
treasured passion. Let your heart soar in the wonder of what you are worth to
him, and you will have no further difficulty proclaiming the excellencies of
the one who called you out of every nuance of your darkness, and into the
wonders of his marvelous light.”
From
my heart,
Monte
© 2013 Monte Vigh ~ Box 517,
Merritt, BC, V1K 1B8 ~ in2freedom@gmail.com
Unless otherwise noted,
Scriptures are from the English Standard Version (The Holy Bible, English
Standard Version Copyright © 2001 by Crossway Bibles, a division of Good
News Publishers.)
[1]
Revelation 4:4
[2]
I Peter 2:9
[3]
Jeremiah 31:3; Romans 8
[4]
I John 3:16; Galatians 2:20; Ephesians 5:2
[5]
Romans 5:5
[6]
John 4:10; 7:38; Cf Revelation 7:17
[7]
“The LORD your God is in your midst, a
mighty one who will save; he will rejoice over you with gladness; he will quiet
you by his love; he will exult over you with loud singing.” (Zephaniah
3:17)
[8]
John 15: 7, 10
[9]
Romans 8:15; Ephesians 1:5
[10]
John 3:16
[11]
“Greater love has no one than this, that
someone lay down his life for his friends.” (John 15:13)
[12]
John 17:3
[13]
Romans 5:6-8
[14]
I John 4:16
[15]
Ephesians 5:1-2
[16]
Deuteronomy 32:10; Psalm 17:8; Zechariah 2:8
[17]
Exodus 19:5; Deuteronomy 7:6; 14:2; 26:18; Malachi 3:18
[18]
Luke 22:20; I Corinthians 11:25; Hebrews 12:24
[19]
Romans 8:29-30; Ephesians 1:13-14
[20]
Genesis 1-2
[21]
Genesis 1:31
[22]
I Timothy 6:16
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